Problem: how to tow a lithium battery equipped trailer in extreme cold weather.
I did a number of electrical system upgrades on our new trailer this past spring, which are documented here.
This winter, we will be leaving just after Christmas for AZ for a couple months' escape from winter. As we live in west central Minnesota, this means it is possible the temperatures could be -20 or -30F when we leave. As these sorts of temperatures are below the recommended storage temperatures for the lithium batteries we have (Renogy), let alone the low temperature discharge cut-off point, I needed a solution of some sort to get around this possibility.
Since I had a small 18 amp-hr AGM battery that was new (leftover from a different project), I decided to rig up a harness to utilize this battery until we get far enough south to swap the lithium batteries back in. We will keep the lithium batteries in the house until we leave, and then put them in the cab of the truck, if the temperatures are indeed low.
I chose to only connect the break-away, tongue jack and tire pressure monitor circuits to this small AGM battery, as well as the 7 pin charge circuit. All other circuits are not powered as they are not needed until we reach civilized temperatures and can re-install the lithium batteries.
I built a small harness which plugs into the load side of the fuse panel for those three circuits. The wires which plug in to the fuse panel are simply the male side of what are commonly called fast-on connectors. Since the normal fuses are removed, there are in-line fuses in each of the three lines.
I will put the trailer in storage in the next week or so with this battery, leaving it charged but disconnected so that there is no drain on it. When it is time to leave, I'll re-connect it, hook up and go.
I did a number of electrical system upgrades on our new trailer this past spring, which are documented here.
This winter, we will be leaving just after Christmas for AZ for a couple months' escape from winter. As we live in west central Minnesota, this means it is possible the temperatures could be -20 or -30F when we leave. As these sorts of temperatures are below the recommended storage temperatures for the lithium batteries we have (Renogy), let alone the low temperature discharge cut-off point, I needed a solution of some sort to get around this possibility.
Since I had a small 18 amp-hr AGM battery that was new (leftover from a different project), I decided to rig up a harness to utilize this battery until we get far enough south to swap the lithium batteries back in. We will keep the lithium batteries in the house until we leave, and then put them in the cab of the truck, if the temperatures are indeed low.
I chose to only connect the break-away, tongue jack and tire pressure monitor circuits to this small AGM battery, as well as the 7 pin charge circuit. All other circuits are not powered as they are not needed until we reach civilized temperatures and can re-install the lithium batteries.
I built a small harness which plugs into the load side of the fuse panel for those three circuits. The wires which plug in to the fuse panel are simply the male side of what are commonly called fast-on connectors. Since the normal fuses are removed, there are in-line fuses in each of the three lines.
I will put the trailer in storage in the next week or so with this battery, leaving it charged but disconnected so that there is no drain on it. When it is time to leave, I'll re-connect it, hook up and go.
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